Maternity coaching – Ernst & Young employees share their experiences

Citation

Parke, C. (2012), "Maternity coaching – Ernst & Young employees share their experiences", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 11 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2012.37211daa.009

Maternity coaching – Ernst & Young employees share their experiences

Article Type: Rewards From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 11, Issue 4

Short case studies and research papers that demonstrate best practice in rewards

Chris Parke and , CEO of Talking Talent.

Liz BinghamManaging Partner for People at Ernst & Young.

For many women, pregnancy and maternity represent a real crunch point in their careers – will they choose to return to work after having the baby? Or will they opt to reduce their hours and, possibly, their responsibilities at work? Or will they chose to take a mini career break, or perhaps never to return to work? There are so many decisions to make, and it can be a difficult time for women and their families.

Some companies are now offering their employees coaching in the pre and post-maternity stages, to ensure that maternity leave is handled as smoothly as possible with minimal business disruption. Being coached through the maternity transition can reap many benefits – it can ease the transition in and out of the workplace and ensure that when a woman returns to work, she can pick up where she left off, continue her career ambitions and not damage her promotional prospects.

The Ernst & Young program

Talking Talent, an executive coaching company specializing in maternity coaching, has been delivering maternity coaching at Ernst & Young, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, since February 2011. A total of 500 employees – both women taking maternity leave and their line managers – have been coached with the majority of people attending webinars and senior managers, directors and partners receiving one-to-one coaching sessions.

The webinars and group sessions are for everyone below senior manager level, and their managers, which means that everyone who has a maternity leave is offered some form of coaching. The group sessions cover off the following:

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  Pre-maternity.

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  The juggling act (0-6 months after return to work).

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  Managing your career (6+ months after return to work).

Every manager who is managing someone going on maternity (whatever their level) has to attend a pre/during leave webinar and a return to work webinar.

Employee experiences

Following are the experiences of two Ernst & Young employees of the company’s approach to maternity leave and the maternity coaching on offer.

Case 1: Elizabeth Scott

Elizabeth Scott joined Ernst & Young straight from university in 2001 as a graduate trainee and has recently celebrated her tenth year with the business. Today, she works as a tax director – supporting large businesses in mitigating their tax costs. She manages a number of people. She comments:

I have always been fascinated in the growth and development of businesses, and have created a role which helps companies to be forward thinking in terms of the potential tax liabilities.

Elizabeth Scott’s first child was born in February 2010, and she took maternity leave in mid January. At the time, she was working as a senior manager, working towards promotion into the role of tax director. She says:

When I announced my pregnancy, the company was extremely supportive. I had already put some thought to how my accounts could be managed, so I went to the meeting well prepared. I wanted my managers to know that I was still 100 percent committed to my job, and that I wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible and that I would like to be engaged in that process.

While the maternity coaching program was launched during Elizabeth Scott’s leave, she was offered coaching on her return to work. She adds:

I found the sessions very helpful – having someone there to offer perspective on both your life and your work is invaluable.

Returning to work with confidence

Having returned to work in October 2010, Elizabeth Scott now works for the business four days per week. She adds:

Ernst & Young, after assessing the business need, has been very flexible and allowed me to work around childcare and my husband’s job – as a fire fighter he does shift work, so there are times he can’t be around to pick our daughter up. If I need to take time out to do this, then I simply make up the hours.

Her promotion became effective from 1 October 2011, but had been planned since late 2010. She adds:

Being at work is a big part of who I am, but I was worried after taking my maternity leave that I may not have been up to the job – feelings that all new mothers have, I am sure. But, I have really worked hard in my new role, and certainly now feel in my comfort zone.

Before I had a child, if an issue arose at work, I would just throw lots of hours into it. I don’t have that option anymore, but – following the maternity coaching – I am able to appreciate how and when to prioritize.

Case 2: Nicola Stokes

Nicola Stokes has been with the company for 17 years, having joined directly from school as an A Level trainee. She started as a tax assistant, and today is a senior tax manager. She handles aspects of UK and US tax compliance, managing tax returns on behalf of individuals in large multi-national businesses. She manages a team of ten support staff and regularly coaches junior members within the company.

Nicola Stokes has two children. At the time of her second child being born, the maternity coaching program had been launched. She went on maternity leave in August 2010, and returned in July 2011. Before she returned to work, the company made contact to advise that the program had been established. She had an initial call with Talking Talent (two months before returning to work). She comments:

Talking Talent made me think about what I wanted from life when I returned to work – things you perhaps wouldn’t usually focus on during a maternity leave.

A good work/home balance

Her promotion came through while she was on maternity leave, in October 2010. She adds:

I had effectively been off work, in a role that I had never performed in, so this in itself was a daunting prospect. Talking Talent helped to build my confidence in stepping into this role. And, the coach made me think about what areas of my life I would need to prioritize – it just helped to add real clarity. After the coaching my fears faded away.

Nicola Stokes also works a flexible 25-hour week. She comments:

Ernst & Young has been so supportive – I arrive at 8.30 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Thursday mornings I work from home, and then have Thursday afternoons and Fridays with the children. These hours fit well with childcare, and I am easily able to keep work and home life separate, which I think is key.

She adds that her career is “very important,” and is expecting to progress into her role. Eventually she hopes to become a director within the business, but feels that today she has the space and time to develop both parts of her life.

Supporting and retaining women in the workplace

Chris Parke, CEO at Talking Talent, comments:

Too many companies are losing key female staff particularly following maternity leave and supporting women through maternity with coaching can make all the difference and ensure they remain in the business. It not only ensures the smooth handover of work but that women feel engaged with their company throughout the maternity process and return to work confident and able to pick up where they left off.

As the programs at Ernst & Young demonstrate, coaching can play a big part in helping support, engage and retain women in the workplace, keep their careers on track and help them realize their potential. It is great to see such examples of women being promoted following maternity leave.

Liz Bingham, partner sponsor of the program at Ernst & Young, says:

Gender diversity isn’t just an issue in the boardroom. It’s vital that organizations create talent pipelines to ensure that high-potential women are being developed at every level through their careers. Initiatives like our new maternity scheme are designed to remove any perceived or real blockages in the pipeline. We want to ensure that all our people, at every stage of their personal and professional lives, are supported and are able to make informed choices about their career development.

About the authors

Chris Parke is CEO of Talking Talent, an executive coaching company specializing in the coaching of senior women as well as maternity and paternity coaching. Chris Parke is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: chris@talking-talent.com

Liz Bingham is the Managing Partner for People at Ernst & Young, and former head of the firm’s restructuring practice.